What are the underlying thematic of Princess Mononoke?
- According to Napier (2005) the main theme in this anime is “that of ‘extermination of ghosts’” (p.234).
- Another theme is vengeance (Napier, 2005). In the anime, I noted:
- the revengeful boar turned demon at the beginning of the anime wanting revenge against humans for being shot;
- the gods of the forest wanting revenge against humans for destroying their forest. This is particularly noticeable between San and Lady Eboshi;
- the widows of Iron Town wanting revenge against San and the gods for killing their men folk;
- the revenge held by the inhabitants of Iron Town against the gods of the forest for particular reasons, for example, against the apes for replanting the trees during the night, so slowing ‘progress’;
- I think Lady Eboshi is also vengeful in wishing to destroy the forest spirit as the gods are stopping her from advancing her plans. As she states at one point in the anime, by killing the heart of the forest she would have access to the land which she describes would be “the richest in the world” (anime: Miyasaki, 2006).
- the forest spirit could be considered ‘thoughtfully revengeful’, though not in a violent manner, in the act of not curing Ashitaka of his curse when he is injured.
As the different levels of vengeance play themselves out, I have to note here that the gods seem to ‘play fair and honourably’ in battle while the humans come across as extremely deceitful and treacherous. Examples: the humans set alight bonfires to negate the animals’ sense of smell. They cut down trees to entice the gods out of the forest. They blow the boars to smithereens. The idea of the one-on-one battle, pitting one’s strength against another, disappears. Also, the humans dress up in boar skins so the blind boar will lead them to the spirit. As injured as the old boar is, they creep up on him and attack him when San is not looking. Perhaps, worst of all, they shoot the innocent forest spirit for its head for their own self-interests. And this is what seems to be the conflict: vengeance of the gods to protect as opposed to vengeance of the humans in the face of not being able to get what they want (greed?).
The gods don’t stand a chance against the humans’ technology. This is an interesting perspective: of humans being more powerful than gods; of believing there is no place for gods; where profits have become their ‘god’; Iron Town as an ungodly place where humans believe in themselves for their survival and do not work in conjunction with the gods/nature for their survival; and Iron Town representing a new era which has no place for ‘old’ gods. As Miyazaki (as cited in Napier, 2005) states, in this new era “people changed their value system from gods to money” (p. 237).
How does it ‘defamiliarise’ its historical setting, according to Napier (2005)?
Miyazaki sets the anime in the Muromachi period but alters what people anticipate this period setting will involve, for example, Napier (2005) states:
- the story is set away from the urban centre of high culture;
- the anime does not present the usual opening sequence of either “samurai battle or courageous peasants resisting warlords” (p. 234). Instead, the anime starts in a wilderness where gods dwell and the conflict is between humans and gods;
- the weaponry for the film is not swords but guns;
- the anime is not a strict depiction of the historical period, nor does it depict this period in the usually expected nostalgic manner;
- concepts of reality are unbalance by including fantasy and through nature taking on supernatural qualities;
- the forest is not any particular forest, but “a buried archetypal memory” (p. 242) that does not fit the accepted orderly concept of garden within the era the anime portrays; it is not a tamed place, but wild;
- The Iron Town setting is a weapons production site and in so being embodies far more underlying implications than if it were a mere industrial site.
According to Napier, how does this anime problematise traditional (or conservative) constructions of gender, class and race?
Women are shown in roles other than the traditional role of “long-suffering and supportive” (Napier, 2005, p. 233) with the usual “sweetness and cuteness” (Napier, p. 238) attached to females in Japan being absent. They take on what is considered to be the usual male orientated roles and upset the Japanese idea of linking women with nature, this link usually being one that epitomizes “traditional harmony” (Napier, p. 241).
For example, Lady Eboshi is an apparently single, independent woman who rules Iron Town and is capable of leading her ‘fighters’ and using weaponry with no need for a man to speak for her (Napier, 2005).
For example, the wolf mother is not the expected “cuddly” (Napier, p. 239) creature, she also kills her opponents.
For example, San (spelt Sen in Wrght, 2005) fighting the humans. Personally, from my cultural perspective, I didn’t see anything extraordinary in her doing so. There are many instances in history worldwide where women have been forced to take up arms to protect themselves and their homes.
The female protagonists (Lady Eboshi, San and Moro) outnumber the male protagonists, (only one being Ashitaka, the hero) (Napier, 2005).
The usual classes are not centre stage (for example, samurai and the court). Instead the anime sets marginalized classes centre stage, for example, ex-brothel workers and others who would be shunned by society, such as lepers (Napier, 2005).
The film incorporates characters who are not Japanese, for example, Ashitaka who is Emishi, but who represents Ainu (Napier, 2005; Wright 2005). Other characters in this category, I noted, include those of his village, his sister, old wise woman, old wise man, etc.
However, in Princess Mononoke, I think another problematising factor which Napier (2005) does not mention is the way the monk, Jiko, is portrayed. Instead of this religious person representing the usual traits of wisdom, humility, as walking a ‘love walk’ with others’ interests at heart and caring for the environment and having an anti-violence stance, he is portrayed in quite a different light. He is the representation of the human's religion opposing nature’s version of religion with its gods. More interesting still, is the way Jiko continues the human propensity for deceit, even being a monk. Cavallaro (2006) states “he nonetheless has no qualms in talking Lady Eboshi into killing Shishigami and obtaining the god’s head” (p. 124).
But this comment infers Lady Eboshi is malleable to a glib talker. I don’t think so. It is quite clear in the anime that Lady Eboshi accepted the monk supplying guards for Iron Town at a time when it needed reinforcements from outside hostiles. The negotiated price for these extra reinforcements was the head of the forest spirit. She is acting out of self-interest here. She wants to kill the heart of the forest anyway, so giving away its head isn’t too big a price, really.
Napier (2005) also discusses Lady Eboshi in light of “her nurturing capacity” (p. 246). I don’t see this capacity in this character. Yes, she has given the diseased and ex-brothel women a home, but by assisting these people, is assisting her own interests. These ‘outcasts’ form a cheap, willing work force who are happy to build a society where they are accepted. And these ‘outcasts’ she supposedly nurtures hold extreme loyalty to Lady Eboshi for her taking them out of their desperate past lives. The ex-brothel women are ready to die for her. She is their ‘idol'. They see her supposed kindness towards them as unselfish, but I think she’s a lady on a personal mission and is using the wretched for her own ends. She is quick to apologize when wrong, but was ready to leave men to drown in the river in her haste to get back to Iron Town and was happy to continue her mission of killing the forest spirit and leaving the women of Iron Town to their fate against Lord Osano. As she states, they can take care of themselves, there is nothing she can do for them. So much for backup when you need it. Where was her loyalty, her ‘nurturing capacity’ for these women when she had slaughtering of the forest spirit on her mind?
Also Lady Eboshi, at the end of the film, is described by Napier (2005) as being a “now penitent Eboshi” (p. 236). I certainly didn’t see Lady Eboshi in this light. She was injured after being bitten by the wolf. Under these circumstances, of course she would be crestfallen, who wouldn’t be? And in addition to being wounded, everything she has worked for has been destroyed. And, yes, she was ready to thank Ashitaka for his assistance, but she states she will rebuild a better town. In what exact way is it going to be better and for whom? As the audience we don’t know, we’re not told. So, we assume she is penitent? But her idea of ‘better’ might be to destroy the forest at an even faster rate, or worse. I suppose now there is a man around, Ashitaka, who wants peace between the gods and humans, and who is ready to help rebuild the town, her misguided female motives will be amended by male influence.
Interesting to note Wright’s (2005) comment that Ashitaka is “suggestive of the Ainu or other groups that, like the forests, were pushed back by the growing Yamato civilization” (p. 11). Now it is possible to better understand why he wants to help the forest gods and for the forest to survive. He understands their predicament. His motivations thus go far beyond his love for San.
Finally, with reference to Cavallaro (2006), what distinguishes Mononoke technically as being – it is generally agreed – a great work of anime?
Briefly, it is the use of computer technology and specifically designed software which has turned Princess Mononoke into a noteworthy anime. The ainime uses “computer graphics that could be seamlessly integrated into cel animation” (Cavallaro, 2006, p. 126). But apart from this, the film also incorporates a high standard of “noncomputerized animation techniques” (Cavallaro, p. 130). The use of these approaches work in harmony in this anime.
Did anyone note the use of silence in Princess Mononoke? As Ebert (as cited by Cavallaro, 2006b, Week 5) states, “silence plays an important role in Japanese animation” (p. 17). When the forest spirit appears there is silence which is a stark contrast to the fighting, the daily troubles and the negative emotions embodied in the rest of the story. Silence equates to the forest spirit’s world. It is a being whose only defence is to wrap guns in flora. When the forest spirit comes to heal Ashitaka’s wound, for example, we are forced to listen and Miyazaki allows us the sound of a drop of water falling. The little things that we, as humans, in our hectic busy lives may not notice.
As a final comment: there were large tracts of forest, but I didn't notice any birds? What are forests without birds?
References
Cavallaro, D. (2006). The anime art of Hayao Miyazaki. (pp. 120-130). London: McFarland & Company.
Cavallaro, D. (2006b). Frame of Reference. In The anime art of Hayao Miyazaki (pp. 15-28). London: McFarland & Company. [From Week 5 Critical Reader.]
Miyazaki, H. (Director). (2006). Princess Mononoke. Tokyo: Studio Ghibli Productions.
Napier, S. (2005). The anime: from Akira to Howl's Moving Castle. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.
